


“Need to turn it a bit.”

by LulaIsAKitten



Series: First Kisses [30]
Category: Cormoran Strike Series - Robert Galbraith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 10:20:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15386649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LulaIsAKitten/pseuds/LulaIsAKitten
Summary: Continuing the series of shorts of possible first kisses between these two. Got a few ideas. Feel free to submit prompts for anything you’d like to see in the comments below or over on Tumblr at lulacat3.





	“Need to turn it a bit.”

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ladiladida](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladiladida/gifts).



> A gift for Ladiladida. Thank you for the prompt!
> 
> “Can I make another request please, a daft one from me. Cormoran helps Robin buy a sofa.”
> 
> Daft, did you say? I took that and ran with it.

They stood and looked at the little sofa. “It’s perfect,” Robin declared.

“It’s tiny,” Strike said doubtfully.

“So’s my flat,” Robin said. “Honestly, I won’t fit anything bigger. And it’ll only ever be me sitting on it anyway.”

A new influx of clients had meant they could both start drawing more money from the business. After a long, fond, wine-fuelled chat one evening, Robin and Angela had agreed that Robin would move out. It turned out Robin had been thinking of getting her own place for a while, and Angela had wanted Luke to move in but hadn’t wanted to evict Robin.

Robin had found a cute little bedsit even closer to work, sacrificing space for proximity. It was just within her budget, a little attic room similar to Strike’s. She was determined to furnish it and make it homely, hence the trip to Ikea.

She glanced around now. “I’ll need a few kitchen bits too,” she said. “Where did Nick and Ilsa go?”

“Something about cushions,” Strike said, vaguely, and Robin smiled at him. He was quiet, today, and she couldn’t put her finger on why.

“Well, I think I’ve made my choice,” she said. “Nick helped me move my bed across yesterday, and a few more bits, bless him. I promised him and Ilsa meatballs for lunch for all their help. Let’s go find them, and then we can work out getting everything in the Land Rover.”

Strike followed her through the labyrinthine twists and turns towards the cafe. He had never liked Ikea. It made him feel even more ungainly and in the way than he normally did. He was determined to believe that that was why he was a little withdrawn from the group today. It had nothing to do with the change in Robin’s circumstances. She was going to be so close, now, just a few streets away, and with her own flat. It shouldn’t make a difference, yet somehow strangely it did. It shouldn’t disturb his equilibrium, but it did.

They found Nick and Ilsa, had lunch, collected up their purchases and loaded the Land Rover. It was a long, cramped journey from Croydon back to central London, but Nick regaled them with tales from work and the time passed pleasantly.

“Right, how are we going to do this?” Ilsa asked as they surveyed the staircase up to Robin’s flat, and the sofa which suddenly didn’t seem so little any more. I should have got a futon, Robin thought. That at least we could have moved in pieces.

“I’ll take the bags up and open the flat,” Robin said, and skipped ahead. She left her purchases of kitchen things and cushions, propped the door open with the bin and set off back down again.

She met Strike and Nick and the sofa on the first landing. They both looked a little out of breath. Strike gave Robin a mock glare. “Did you have to live on the top floor?” he asked, using humour to hide how much he was struggling with his leg. Even with Nick bearing the weight from below, this was hard work when your balance was poor.

Ilsa was following them slowly up, issuing instructions. Her eyes danced with merriment at Robin over the sofa.

“Come on, one more floor,” Nick said. “Let’s go, Oggy.”

“There’s beer waiting upstairs if that helps,” Robin said, smiling. “Motivation.”

The second flight of stairs was narrower. The corner seemed sharper. Nick pushed the sofa and Strike pulled, but it was wedged. Strike swore under his breath.

“Need to turn it a bit,” panted Nick. Robin, stood just above Strike but not really able to help, started giggling. They both stopped and glared at her.

“What?!” Nick demanded, and then Robin caught Ilsa’s eye and they both shouted at once, “Pivot!”

Then Robin couldn’t breathe for giggling, and Ilsa carried on shouting “Pivot! Pivot!” until she too dissolved into giggles. Robin was laughing so hard now she had to sit down on the stairs.

Strike and Nick looked at each other and shrugged. The sofa sat, wedged and immovable, and Strike took the opportunity to sit back on the stairs for a moment, taking the weight off his leg. Nick sat too with his back to the sofa while the women laughed, and gazed fondly at his wife as she tried to pull herself together.

Strike was transfixed by Robin as she sat just above him on the stairs, bright pink, tears on her cheeks from laughing so much. She had never looked more beautiful. Suddenly in that moment all the angst of the last year seemed to have lifted from her. She was free and single and had her own career and flat. The very things that had seemed scary were suddenly joyous.

Eventually she managed to catch her breath. Her dancing eyes met his fond ones, and she stilled suddenly at the look he was giving her. She swallowed, giggles dying away, but the joy still dancing in her heart. God, he’s gorgeous, she thought, and on impulse she suddenly leaned forward and kissed him. She pressed her mouth to his and her hands found the sides of his head, fingers sliding into the curls she had so longed to touch.

She felt his surprise, a slight start, but he kissed her back without hesitation, his hand coming up to rest on her knee. It was time, she thought. Time for this to happen. She leaned down to him, kissing him harder, her lips parting and her tongue brushing over his top lip and then sliding to meet his. There was a long moment of quiet as they kissed.

“Ahem,” Nick said, and they broke apart guiltily to see him standing at the other end of the sofa, grinning cheekily at them. Behind him, Ilsa winked at a blushing Robin.

“If we could just concentrate on the task at hand,” Nick carried on. Strike grinned back at him and pulled himself up off the step he was sat on.

“So,” Strike said to Robin as they manoeuvred the sofa round the corner and up the last flight of stairs. “What’s so funny about the word pivot?”

“It’s a Friends episode,” Robin said. “I’ll show you one day. They got a sofa stuck on the stairs too. Classic scene.”

“I’ve never seen a single episode of Friends,” Strike said, and Robin laughed.

“That doesn’t surprise me in the least,” she said. “I’ve seen them all.”

“And that doesn’t surprise me,” Strike replied. They were through the door now, and plonked the sofa on the floor in the living area of Robin’s new flat. Robin grabbed a couple of beers, and handed the men one each.

“Thank you,” she said. “Let’s grab a takeaway, impromptu flat warming!”

“Great idea,” Nick said.

“Um...” said Ilsa. “Wouldn’t you two rather we cleared off?” She looked meaningfully at Robin.

Robin glanced shyly at Strike, and he smiled a little. “No hurry. We’ve got plenty of time,” she said, and he squeezed her hand.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Friends S5 Ep 16. The clip is on YouTube. As are the outtakes somewhere which are even funnier.


End file.
